Notes from building an always-on AI analyst
Short notes on correspondence load, pricing, and the decisions behind the product.
August 15, 2026 · 4 min
Why we built a shared mailbox instead of a chatbot
Most AI tools for deal teams wait to be asked. The work that actually piles up is correspondence, so that's where this one starts.
ReadSeptember 15, 2026 · 3 min
Why Ontu prices per seat, and still doesn't meter the AI
Most AI tools price per seat and then ration usage on top of it. Ontu keeps those two decisions separate.
ReadAugust 29, 2026 · 5 min
What boutique investment banks lose in email triage
A boutique competes on responsiveness. What a slow reply costs on a live mandate, and where the analyst's hours actually go.
Read
Questions deal teams ask us
The practical ones: what Ontu does with your email and documents, what it sends, and what it costs.
What is Ontu?
Ontu is a shared workspace for deal and advisory teams. Each project gets its own inbox, call recordings and documents. Ontu reads incoming correspondence and drafts a reply before anyone asks, citing the documents it used, and a person on your team reviews and sends every message.
Does Ontu send emails on its own?
No. Ontu prepares drafts. Someone on your team reviews, edits and sends each one from their own address, so nothing leaves without a person approving it.
Which email systems does it work with?
Outlook through Microsoft 365, and Gmail. Gmail connections are currently approved one account at a time while Google completes its review of our app, so mention it when you request a demo and we'll set it up.
Which AI models does Ontu use?
Claude from Anthropic and models from OpenAI. Partner seats decide which models the firm allows and which is the default, and individual users can choose a model for a given request.
Is our data used to train AI models?
No. Content sent to model providers to produce a response is never used to train their models. The Trust Center sets out how data is handled, including our sub-processors.
Is Ontu SOC 2 or ISO 27001 certified?
Not yet. Independent audits are on the roadmap, and we say so plainly. The Trust Center lists exactly what is in place today.
What kinds of files can Ontu read?
PDF, Word, Excel and PowerPoint files, emails, text files and images. Scanned documents with no text layer are read with an OCR fallback, and you can upload a zip and Ontu unpacks it into folders.
Can it create files as well as read them?
Yes. In chat or on a task, Ontu can produce a downloadable Excel, Word, CSV or text file and save it to the project's files.
Does it connect to our virtual data room?
Not directly yet. You upload files into the project, or they arrive as email attachments, and Ontu reads them from there. It works alongside a data room rather than replacing one.
What happens when Ontu isn't sure of an answer?
It says so. When a claim can't be tied to a document, the draft marks it for review instead of guessing, and every draft shows the sources it used so a reviewer can check them.
How is one project's information kept apart from another's?
Each project has its own workspace. Team members only see the projects they belong to, and correspondence and documents are partitioned per project.
How is Ontu priced?
Per seat, billed annually, with two seat types: Team and Partner. AI use isn't metered. There's no public list price because pricing is set with each firm, so request a demo or email [email protected].
Does Ontu replace analysts?
No. It does the first pass on correspondence and routine analysis so analysts can spend their time on judgment. A person stays on every deliverable.
See Ontu on your next project
A short walkthrough with your deal team. No slideware, just the product on a real workflow.